Five years after launch: 36,000 Ford Mustang Mach-E cars have an average battery capacity of 92%.
Ford analyzed over 36,000 2021 model Mustang Mach-E vehicles sold in the U.S. and Canada. After an average of 5.2 years, their batteries retain 92% of their original usable capacity. Ford President Jim Farley shared these figures. The more interesting cases are those with high mileage, as the average capacity drops to only 88% after 322,000 km.
The vehicles under study were delivered to customers between late 2020 and late 2021 and have accumulated a total of about 3.2 billion km. On average, each vehicle has traveled around 89,000 km, which is slightly over 17,000 km per year, so the data comes from normal use rather than a laboratory setting. Ford measures battery condition using the State of Health (SoH) indicator. It shows how much energy the battery can provide to the driver today compared to when it was new, with 95% of vehicles falling within the 87-97% range.
Higher mileage means slower capacity decline
Over 2,000 Mach-E models from this model year have accumulated more than 100,000 miles (about 161,000 km). All of them are still using the original battery, with an average SoH of over 91%. More than 30 units have covered 200,000 miles, or roughly 322,000 km, while maintaining an average capacity of 88%.
Comparing these groups shows that lithium-ion cells do not degrade linearly. Vehicles with around 90,000 km on the odometer have lost an average of 8% of their capacity. Those that traveled about 62,000 km per year during the same period lost only 4 percentage points more. The most significant capacity loss occurs at the beginning, after which the degradation process slows down significantly, though the rate also depends on temperature, charging methods, charge levels, and battery temperature management.
Ford also replaces Mach-E models from 2022 that have traveled over 400,000 miles (about 644,000 km) with the original battery, although this is a single instance.
Batteries from Poland, data from America
The 2021 Mustangs are equipped with NCM batteries, which are lithium-ion batteries containing nickel, cobalt, and manganese. As elektrowoz.pl noted, the batteries for these vehicles were produced at LG Energy Solution’s plant in Poland, so the results in Europe should be similar. However, Ford only showed a fleet from the U.S. and Canada, and this represents the manufacturer’s data for one model, not an independent market study.
The manufacturer claims to design batteries to last at least 10 years. According to Ford, the batteries in its entire electric lineup in the U.S. and Canada maintain over 90% of their SoH after 100,000 miles on average. In Poland, Ford offers an 8-year or 160,000 km warranty on the Mach-E battery, whichever comes first.
How to charge according to Ford
Ford recommends alternating current (AC) for daily charging and DC fast chargers only when truly necessary. In extreme cold or heat, it’s better to get the car ready to drive while it’s still connected to a charger. NCM batteries should not be regularly charged to 100% unless necessary. For LFP batteries, which Ford uses in some newer electric vehicles, the situation is reversed: periodic full charging is required to calibrate the battery management system (BMS).
From the editorial team: With an 8-year warranty, the first Mach-E models from 2021 will lose battery coverage between 2028 and 2029. If you buy a used one today, check the first registration date in addition to the SoH reading.
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